Mintt Indian Restaurant (Dormont)

Last month, I attended a FoodBurgh Meetup at Mintt, an Indian restaurant in the South Hills that had come highly recommended to Mike (FoodBurgh blogger and Meetup organizer) by his Indian coworker, and he in turn highly recommended it to his Twitter followers.  Now that I've been, I count myself as another patron to highly recommend Mintt.

The restaurant did a fine job of accommodating and serving our large group of around 30, even offering us each a glass of complimentary mango lassi (yum!).  The service remained friendly and competent throughout the busy evening.  The menu looked great and it wasn't an easy decision, but I went with the Goan Shrimp Curry, with a fantastic coconut milk-based sauce and plenty spicy for "medium."  In fact, I was surprised by how spicy it was, but at the same time, I appreciated that they didn't dial down the heat for the American tastebud.  We washed down our meal with some BYOB beer.  There was no corkage fee as far as I remember.

Goan Shrimp Curry ($12.99)

The folks sitting near me seemed quite happy with their dishes as well.  All in all, it was an enjoyable meal and a fun evening.

Restaurant info:
Mintt Indian Restaurant
3033 Banksville Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15216
(412)306-1831
On the web: http://themintt.com/
Bonus: BYOB


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Casa Rasta (Beechview)

I have a confession to make: I never used to care too much for tacos.  It's not that I disliked them.  It"s just one of those things I never would crave.

Well, that was until I met taco-loving friends, and awesome taco places like Smoke BBQ Taqueria started popping up in Pittsburgh.

Recently, Burgh Gourmand wrote a raving review of Casa Rasta in Beechview (near Dormont) which made me unusually hungry for tacos.  Yesterday, we (along with Señorita Cibulka) had made plans to go shopping in the Strip District and then back to my digs for a home-cooked meal a la Chef BG (more on this in my next post), but a little detour down to Beechview for some tacos was too tempting to pass up.

To be honest with you, I had no idea that Beechview existed before this.  If you didn't either, Beechview is just a stone's throw from Dormont.

Casa Rasta

Casa Rasta took over a small space just two months ago that used to house a pizza shop.  The owners, Laura and Antonio, are super down-to-earth and all-round awesome.  You gotta love their genuine passion for their food.

We started with their weekend special, Ceviche Tostada.

Ceviche Tostada ($3)

At Laura's suggestion, I added some Valentino sauce to the Ceviche Tostada, which was a wonderful idea.  The ceviche was fresh, clean, and flavorful - it is by far the best $3 ceviche you can get, anywhere.  (I think it's worth way more.)  The tostada is crispy and just perfectly sturdy for the ceviche.  No sogginess, no breaking apart randomly.  I didn't think there could be so much science to the perfect tostada, but it is true.

Ceviche Tostada with Valentino sauce ($3)

I also got two tacos, the Steak Taco and the Pulled Pork Taco.  Both consisted of chunks of well-seasoned meat on top of two soft corn tortillas that I believe were baked.  The tacos were divine on their own, but I also added a bit of salsa which made the tacos even more amazing.  And the tortillas had just the perfect consistency.  I never used to care for tortillas (which is probably the reason why I never cared for tacos), but if places like Smoke and Reyna in the Strip District changed my feelings about tortillas in recent months, Casa Rasta absolutely cemented it.

Steak Taco ($2.50)

Pulled Pork Taco ($2.50)

Complimentary salsa

For beverages, several varieties of Jarritos Soda are available.  I tried the pineapple one which I liked.

Pineapple soda

The shop wasn't busy when we were there, and Laura and Antonio were so kind to offer us samples of items, all of which were great.  First we got some quesadilla bites with cheese and a Mexican herb called "epazote" that I had never heard of before.  It was very interesting.

Quesadilla Bites with Cheese and Epazote

Then, two sweet items:  Chocolate Truffles with Ancho Chili and Blueberry Goat Cheese.  Can you say YUM?!?

Chocolate Truffles with Ancho Chili

Blueberry Goat Cheese

All in all, I loved Casa Rasta.  Delicious food prepared lovingly by a friendly, down-home couple - that's what Pittsburgh's all about!

I started this post with a confession that I never used to care for tacos.  Needless to say, I am now a convert.

Restaurant info:
Casa Rasta
2102 Broadway Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15216
(412)223-6106
On Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/CasaRastaPgh

Golden Pig Authentic Korean Cuisine (Cecil)

Every now and then, I think about Korean food.  Nowadays, when I think Korean food, I think Golden Pig.  And then my stomach starts to growl.

I had heard great things about Golden Pig for a while now, but hadn't had the chance to make it out there to Cecil, about 4 miles outside of Bridgeville, until new dining buddy Burgh Gourmand and I talked about meeting up there sometime back in October.  Almost a month later, we finally made it, with Señorita Cibulka coming along as well.  I was beyond excited, not only to try a restaurant I had wanted to try for the longest time, but also because this would also be my first experience with Korean food in Pittsburgh.  I had so missed Korean cuisine!

I had heard that Golden Pig is a small operation before my visit, but holy bulgogi, this place is tiny.  Shortly after we arrived, the restaurant filled to absolute capacity, to the point where you couldn't get to the restroom without someone having to move to let you through.  And what was the capacity, you ask?  A mere 12 people.

Though small and casual, Golden Pig is a lovely, cozy restaurant, decorated with various pig paraphernalia - some golden, some not.  When I was young I had a bit of an obsession with pigs and even had a pig collection for a while, so this place appealed to my nostalgic side somewhat.  Golden Pig is also a one-woman operation - just owner Yong Kwon doing all the prepping, cooking, serving, cleaning, and cashiering.  The restaurant was named for Yong Kwon's grandson, who was born in the year of the Golden Pig, a once-every-600-years occurrence that is believed to bring good fortune.  Observing Yong cook in her small kitchen from our bar seating, I couldn't help but admire her energy, her dedication, and her pleasant and serene demeanor.  If I were in her position, I would probably be totally frazzled.  Not her.  It was clear that she loved what she was doing.  Yong Kwon may be a small woman with a small restaurant, but she has a big heart.  When you eat at Golden Pig, Yong is your Korean mom, cooking you the best meal from her heart and always making sure you have everything you need.  When you eat at Golden Pig, you feel like a welcomed guest at a Korean family dinner.

Perhaps most importantly, her food is phenomenal.

We were given several small bites to munch while we waited for our orders. Among them were:

Spicy slaw

Kimchi

Cauliflower with hot sauce

For my appetizer, I went with the Korean Pancake which comes with a choice of kimchi, potatoes, or hot green peppers.  I chose kimchi.  Yong warned that the pancake would be huge; I told her I'd share with my companions.  And share we did.  We ate the whole thing, even though we had plenty of other food, this pancake was simply exquisite.

Korean Pancake with Kimchi ($6.95)

Korean Pancake with Kimchi
Eating with metal chopsticks is quite different!

SC and BG had each ordered an appetizer as well, which they so graciously shared with me.  Both the Fried Korean Sweet Potatoes and the Man-Du Soup were every bit as amazing as my Korean Pancake!

Fried Korean Sweet Potatoes ($4.50)

Man-Du Soup ($6.50)

The entree was a tough choice, as everything on the menu sounded intriguing.  I eventually settled on the Man-Du, which are like the beef- and veggie-stuffed dumplings in the Man-Du Soup, only pan fried and served with rice.  Just like everything else, these were delicious.

Man-Du ($10.95)

I don't have good photos of SC and BG's entrees, but they had ordered the Oh Jing Uh Bockeum (broiled and seasoned spicy squid - $12.95) and the Bulgogi (marinated beef - $11.25).  I tried bites of both and can attest to their awesomeness.  In fact, I might have to get a full order of bulgogi for myself next time!

Beverages at Golden Pig are self-served.  I selected a small can of the rice punch, a traditional sweet Korean drink with bits of rice inside that I've never had before.  It sounds like a weird concoction, but it is actually pretty good.

Korean Rice Punch

As I mentioned before, Golden Pig was my first Korean experience in Pittsburgh, and I'd have to say it's going to be hard to top this one.  I loved every single little thing about this place.  I am not a superstitious person, but the year of the Golden Pig did indeed bring with it good fortune - to Pittsburgh-area diners, that is.  I can't believe how incredibly lucky we are to have such an amazing, authentic Korean restaurant in our own backyard!

Also, check out this nice write-up in the Post-Gazette.

Restaurant info:
Golden Pig Authentic Korean Cuisine
3201 Millers Run Road, Cecil, PA 15321
412-220-7170
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Golden-Pig/122207204518952


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El Paso Mexican Grill (Bridgeville)

Last Friday night I met up with a friend for a quick dinner before a movie at one of her regular hangouts, El Paso Mexican Grill in Bridgeville.  Located in the Great Southern strip mall next to TJ Maxx, El Paso strikes me as the type of place that would be great for a really simple, casual meal with your family. Traffic was surprisingly good that day so I got there about 20 minutes early.  There was a couple waiting for a booth seat when I got there (those seem to be pretty popular) but I had no preference, so I was seated at one of the tables right away and started munching on warm tortilla chips and salsa while I waited for my friend to arrive.

My friend is pretty familiar with the restaurant and ordered one of her stand-by chicken dishes.  I went with the Honey Chipotle Shrimp served with rice and beans which I thought sounded pretty good.  My friend had promised that El Paso would be cheap and decent - and she was right.  My shrimp dish was $10.05 and really filled me up.  It was pretty tasty, too, for a $10 seafood item.  The shrimp was just a tad bit on the overcooked side, but the sauce had a nice amount of sweetness and smokiness and was quite good.  It's no fine-dining, mind you, so if you go to El Paso expecting knock-off-your-socks Mexican food, you'll probably be disappointed.  But for something quick and relatively inexpensive, this was a good option.

Honey Chipotle Shrimp

Restaurant info:
El Paso Mexican Grill
1155 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017
(412)914-0101